white car trick for show car shine

[diverse]

I recently put a post out on wet sanding
here is another trick you can use with earlier model white cars.

Ajax yes Ajax

it essentially does the same thing as wetsanding
but a lot less work.
you simply wash the car with ajax the same as you would with a bath tub

then you come back over that with a wool pad and a good compound

then you glaze

and wax.

sounds crazy but this was my first foray into the world of paint restoration
an old timer from south Carolina taught me this.

Now he said it only works with white cars
I don't know why
and I have never tried it with anything else

I did an audi 5000 using this method and the car came out looking like a show car.

[brettbimmer]

Thanks for the tip. Curious if this would work well with the newer paints that have clear coats on top of the actual pigmented paint? Either way it sounds like it is taking down the oxidized outer layer for a fresh layer below.

[Hornung418]

I would rather not put an abrasive compound such as Ajax on my car.

[diverse]

I hear you when in doubt I will always say get a hood from a junk yard and try it out
or find an old car in your neighborhood and ask If you can try the experiment

often times people will be happy for you to do anything to their old car.

second thing when you polish your car with a buffing wheel the compounds you are using are already abrasive.

second body shops have all sorts of abrasive compounds and substances we use to remove scratches etc.

but if you would rather not I cant blame you.

I was a little skeptical myself but the source came from a real CAR MAN not a young dude either a guy who owned several classic muscle cars
on e 12 second ford torino so when he suggested It I tried it and was blown away by the results.

On the other hand the car I performed this task on was a 81 audi 5000
and again on a Malibu wagon also early 80's
so good point on how it will work with modern day clears


I would imagine it is not too different from wet sanding.

[E_Rak]

The difference between "abrasives" as you are mentioning and compounds that a body shop uses are simply that compound and cutting solutions do NOT have physical beads or particles in them. Using such solutions will create unnecessary scratches that may be difficult to get out. Additionally, using a wool pad to buff a car is difficult for the inexperienced and will leave swirl marks and hazing. Putting on glaze over those buffer marks will only mask the problem. Sure - it might look great for a few days (i.e. a car show) but when you wash the car the buffer trails will come back.

Don't damage your paint, polish it properly. No shortcuts!

EDIT: Also a comment on that he only uses it on white cars. White paint tends to hide micro scratches, buffer marks, and hazing quite well. It's natural that it would seem permissible. However, the same rules should apply.

[diverse]

Good points all of them
I never knew why he said only use it on white cars.

the only thing that you said that
I disagree with is
wool pads.

I find sponge pads are less forgiving for the novice.

it is far easier to burn paint using a sponge pad
a wool pad is more forgiving to running out of compound while still on a panel
or letting the wheel spin to long in one spot which a novice is bound to do.

I look at the ajax trick as an alternative to wetsanding the whole vehicle with 1000 then 1500
before buffing a very labor intensive task.
but there are as you said so many variables and with the great products out today
maybe an old school trick like this needs to be put out to pasture

I just thought I would share it.
who knows someone may have an old white car in the backyard that would come to life. after a little elbow grease

[Newjack]

JupiterBMW should give this a try and report back.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Avetiso]

Bump for laughs.

[ELCID86]

not again

[az3579]

Bump for laughs.